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Wednesday, January 5, 2011

According to the New York Post Ted Williams, a panhandler with a voice made for radio was offered a job by the Cleveland Cavaliers to do voice over work. Williams, who is a native of Brooklyn, NY will also get a house in the deal.
“The Cleveland Cavaliers just offered me a full-time job and a house! A house! A house!,” repeated a stunned Williams, 71, on local radio station.
Just yesterday Power107.5 In Columbus posted a video of Williams showcasing is radio-ready announcers voice as he solicited change from passersby.

The Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, native trained to be a radio announcer before drugs and alcohol ruined his chances at a career, and he was reduced to begging on the side of a road in Columbus, Ohio. But once the video of him began to go viral it wasn’t long before Williams was getting offers from credit unions, MTV and “America’s Next Voice.” WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW

With the job offer Williams says he’s grateful to gain some “normalcy and responsibility.”

Williams is hoping all the attention he’s getting will help him get his life together.

Throwing this video from the Columbus Dispatch out there, hoping we can find this talent a place to call home.
UPDATE-1: Many thanks go out to all of you who have been tossing phone numbers and e-mails my way for Ted’s sake. I went up to Hudson/I-71 (Columbus) today, but Ted wasn’t there. He is going to be on air tomorrow morning on radio station WNCI. I’ve left my contact info w/WNCI to call/e-mail me on a way to get your enormous opportunities over to him.
I’m going to give him a Trac phone (w/ample minutes) so that he can return calls to all of you.
Hopefully, in some way I’ll get in contact w/him. Peace.
UPDATE-2: To all those who have been writing me (as one of Ted’s only means of contact), I have learned that the radio station interviewing him tomorrow (1-5-11) a.m. is going to make him a formal offer. Whether true or not, we’ll see.
Hope it works out well for him. That was the whole point of me posting this video. I cannot thank enough everyone who was willing to do their part in offering Ted their helping hand.
Whoever lands him is certainly getting much more than a memorable personality; they’re getting a great human being as part of their team.
My best to all.
UPDATE-FINAL: Well everyone. You can give yourselves and Ted a high-five. He’s being given offers hand-over-fist over the air. He’ll be set for life.
My request to all. Whenever you run across a story such as this, don’t assume it’ll take a life of its own, on its own. It won’t. It can’t. There are too many other stories that drown out the one before it.
You need to spend time to get that story and its word out to many. If you care, you’ll do it.
Keep the faith, pay forward and always lend a hand; even if you’re the one who needs it.
God bless Mr. Williams. I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of him for sometime to come.